Moments later they were climbing aboard the dragon, leaving what was left of the Levannah Manor behind them. Jax was in control of the dragon’s destination. Kelsha hadn't thought to ask where they were going until she felt the air grow cold around her. They had not been traveling long enough to be close to Ellurrah Island. She leaned in to Jax and asked, “Where are we going?” He laughed in response. “Don't you recognize the land, Kelsha? Have you really been out of touch that long?”
She looked around slowly. It only took a moment of gazing to realize they were in the north heading straight to Jax's compound. Kelsha felt as though a vice had been placed on heart. Her pain was the vice, and it was squeezing her heart tightly. “Why are we going to your compound, Jax?” She asked addressing Jax only. She knew Heren would never come to this place willingly. The thought of going back to the place that held her child was nauseating.
“I have to get a few things,” was all he said. His words had finality, telling her no further explanation would be given. Though part of her was excited at what they had done just hours before a larger part was falling into mourning again. She had no desire to revisit that place. She also knew there was no arguing with Jax. Whatever he had to get must be important, otherwise she was sure he would never subject her to the pain that this place caused her.
“Can we make this quick?” She asked and he nodded in response. Her body remained tense and she fought back tears that were threatening her brown eyes. The compound came into view much sooner than she would have preferred. She swallowed hard and breathed deeply, trying to gather her courage to face this place again. The feeling of desertion they felt before arriving at the Levannah Manor was gone. Rather, she felt the presence of people. Soon their thoughts were crowding her mind. Their words were screaming in her ears. There were so many voices.
“Jax, don't land at the compound!” She warned him. “It seems our enemies have settled into your home.”
She didn't have to say more. She felt him tense in front of her. He immediately landed the dragon. She guessed they were about a mile from the compound. She could hear everything clearly. In one fluid motion Jax jumped off the dragon and began pacing. He was not shifted as Heren or the strange combination of the two of them. No, this was all Jax. Kelsha was reminded how beautiful he was. She cursed herself silently for allowing her body to be aroused by him. She knew it was not an appropriate time for those kinds of thoughts.
“What are they saying? Who is in my house?” He demanded. He continued to pace as he ran his hands through his messy hair. His face, always so smooth, was beginning to show faint lines around his eyes and mouth. Had someone not known how his face looked just a few years earlier the lines would be non-existent. Kelsha remembered though, and thought his face was more handsome now than before. She shook the thoughts away and tried to focus on the current problem.
“Well, to be perfectly honest I am rather surprised by your visitors. Or, should I say intruders?” She replied. Her brain was being invaded by all the voices, but it was Shep's that rang like a bell in her head. He was training as he had done for her. He was teaching how to defeat the same army he had helped train. Now it was Kelsha who was pacing. Jax was standing still now feeling a chill deep in his bones as he watched her worried face.
“Well?” He asked in a tone that was a little more subdued. His voice reflected the worry she wore.
“All of them. They are all there, Shep, Lilly, Fionna, all the Levannah's, and all the Healers including James' family. There are hundreds of voices, Jax. I don't know who they all are. I can hear Shep most clearly. He is training them,” she said before she stopped. There was another voice. It came through almost as forcefully as Shep's. She recognized the voice as though she had heard it her entire life, yet her brain wouldn't give it a face. She concentrated hard on the voice, trying to blur out all the background noise in her head. Then the face showed itself. She knew instantly who the owner of the voice was.
She spun to look at Jax. She tried to gauge his possible reaction. How would he feel knowing the mother of his son lived? He had taken such pride in killing her. Kelsha, herself, knew the thought of her sister being alive made her ill.
Sensing something was wrong Jax pressed her. “What is it? Who is it, Kelsha?” She hesitated for a moment, but knowing there was no way around the situation, she spoke the name that made her skin crawl.
“It's Akayleah.” She spoke the words quietly and waited for his response.
It seemed like hours passed before he finally responded. “She was dead when I left her. I was so sure she was dead.” His voice was shaky at first, but became fearful before he spoke the word dead. They began pacing together. Both their thoughts were reeling, thinking, planning, and trying to digest the fact that Akayleah was still alive.
“Do you have a plan?” Kelsha asked.
“Yes, we go there. We let them know that we know what they are doing. We take one of their own. We make them suffer,” he spoke with determination.
She wasn't sure about revealing herself to her enemies. Not yet, but he had a point about taking one of them.
“Let's not think irrationally, Jax. We can't reveal ourselves to them. Not yet. We have no protection.”
“We can't just walk away knowing they are here, in my home!”
“No, we can't, can we? Let's take one of them. We sneak in, grab one, and make it back to Ellurrah before they realize what happened,” Kelsha suggested hoping he would agree.
“Yes, that is what we should do. Who are we going to make off with?” He asked with clear excitement.
“We take the most valuable. We take the weakest. Lilly Wagner,” Kelsha exclaimed, triumph ringing through her words. Jax, once again, reveled in Kelsha's sheer evil intelligence. Of course, they would take Lilly. Together, Kelsha and Jax would show Neveah just how special their 'chosen one' really was.
The two of them waited for nightfall. They sat quietly on the forest floor. Occasionally, they would steal a kiss or caress, but both were careful to observe in silence. The circumstances couldn't have been better. Just after dark they watched Shep and Lilly retreat into the compound while the other occupants made their way to their own quarters. The compound fell silent as the masses readied themselves for bed. Only a few stayed up to talk, including Shep and Lilly. Their voices were easy to differentiate and soon Kelsha was zeroed in on their private conversation:
“I won't be gone long,” Shep said to Lilly. “I know, but even a minute is too long,” she said knowing he had to go. “Wait up for me, I promise I will make this meeting a quick one. When I get back I want you all to myself,” he whispered as he kissed her goodbye.
Kelsha looked to Jax, who had still not phased back into his strange mixture of Heren, and nodded, indicating it was time.
~Chapter Twenty~
Our journey to different villages and homes was successful. Those that had been there the first time we planned to go up against Jax had returned. Others who had chosen to remain neutral during Jax's tyranny chose to stand with us now. The numbers in our force increased daily as more and more Neveahian’s arrived at the compound. Calista had woken briefly, and her sisters were showing signs of improvement. Their skin was beginning to show color, and their breathing was coming easier. I took this as a sign of encouragement. The good had to be outweighing the bad. The scales were tipping to the good side, allowing Neveah to resume some sort of normal balance.
After my conversation with my uncle, the timekeeper, I informed Shep just how extraordinary our son was, meaning we had to work even harder to keep him safe, away from Kelsha. Once Shep put the puzzle together, he worked harder to train the army. He spent the entire days training Special’s how to use their ability as protection or a weapon. He showed them how to use actual weapons, which many of them had a difficult time doing, having never held a sword or knife in their entire lives. Shep was dedicated though, and a very patient teacher. He knew time was running out and pushed them to learn, but he was never cruel
or demeaning. The Special’s flowered under his hands. I felt a strange sense of pride watching him train them. Seeing his strength and intelligence mesh together was amazing, and he was beautiful to watch.
Between the training, traveling, and meetings Shep and I did not spend much time together. The most we saw each other was during our private training sessions, which he insisted on. He didn’t want to leave me unprepared during the fight. He taught me to fight with my hands, with a sword, and with a knife. He also taught me how to shoot a bow and arrow, which to his surprise and my own, I was very good at. I was grateful for our private sessions. It was the most time I got to spend with Shep. We had not spent much time with our son either, which I loathed. I missed my son immensely. I missed being his mom. I couldn't begin to thank my aunt Vivianna for her devotion to James. Without her help with James, I don't think I could have fought the fight that so badly needed to be won. Though I was happy he had Vivianna, I wanted to his mommy again. Every time I saw him so happy and content with Vivianna, I felt a tug on my heartstrings. I wasn't jealous. I just missed my little boy and wanted nothing more than to be with him and Shep.
James was resting peacefully beside Shep's and my bed and though part of me wanted to pick him up and hold him close, I didn't. I let him sleep. I loved the night. It was one of the few times I was able to spend alone time with Shep and James. That night, however, Shep had gone to a meeting with several of the men who were helping ready our army. I was restless in that room, alone. I brushed my hair repeatedly. I fluffed the pillows every few minutes. I tried to lay down and rest, but my mind wouldn't let me. I was not comfortable in the compound. I hated the room where I slept. Everything reminded me of Shep's time with Fionna. I was no longer angry with him or her, but couldn't help the way my heart felt. I stopped complaining to him, though, and when he was with me, I didn't think about his past. It was times of me being alone that my brain would dredge up hurtful things. It was a form of self-torture that I didn't know how to stop. That night was no different.
I felt especially nervous that night. I couldn’t explain why and told myself I was being paranoid. There were hundreds of people living at the compound, any one of them would come running, all I had to do was scream, yet I felt a sense of dread. I had to find something to do, something to occupy my wandering mind.
I would have gone for a walk, but I refused to allow James to be alone while in that compound. He was under constant supervision. There were enough people around that it was never a problem, him being such an adorable baby made everyone more than happy to sit with him. I couldn't leave him alone, but I didn't want to wake him, so I paced, until I heard a knock on the door.
“Who is it?” I called out and waited for the response. Even with the hundreds of allies and friends spread throughout the compound and its grounds I was still suspicious of everyone.
“It's me, Lilly,” came Shep's familiar voice. Without hesitation, I opened the door. Had I not been so anxious for his return, had I not been so nervous while he was gone, had I used my head just a tiny bit, I would have known that it was not Shep on the other side of the door. I expected him to be gone into the late night hours. It had been less than an hour since he left for the meeting. Even if he had come back early I should have never ignored the sick feeling in the bottom of my gut. I should never have ignored my hearts rapid beat. If only I would have thought, I would have never opened the door to Jax Bane.
He stood glaring at me, Kelsha by his side. I couldn't fathom how they made it so far into the compound without being seen and stopped but obviously they had. I drew in a deep breath and prepared to fight them. I would not allow them to come close to James. I tried to close the door, but Jax's foot was too fast. I peeked through the crack that his damn foot created.
“What the hell do you want?” I asked loudly, hoping someone would hear me.
“Let us in,” Jax responded confidently. Kelsha stood beside him, quietly. Her face wore a wild look that was almost more frightening than Jax.
“I will not let you in. What I will do is scream,” I threatened and opened my mouth to scream for my life. In one swift move, Jax pulled his foot from between the door and wall and kicked it open. The door hit me hard in the face, causing me to lose my balance and my wits. Before I could fight or scream Kelsha was standing above me. I wanted to scream again, but remembered James sleeping on the far side of the room. It occurred to me that they may not know he was in there. If noise woke him, though he would surely cry, and they would take him. I opened my mouth to tell her I would do whatever she wanted. I would cooperate. Before I could speak, I saw her fist hurtling toward my face.
I awoke in a strange place. My body was shivering, but I couldn't tell if it was from shock or the cold gusts of air that continued to sweep by me. My hands were chained to the wall behind me, but my feet were loose. The hay that was beneath me may as well have been stone to my body. I was in pain from head to toe and could barely move my stiff joints. There was a window high above me that allowed a single ray of light to stream right to my face. My dry eyes felt personally assaulted by the light and began to tear up and cry. I tried to yell for help, but my throat was so dry I couldn't even whisper. I had no idea how long I had been there.
It seemed like days went by of floating in and out of consciousness before the door finally opened. I tried to open my dry eyes to see my visitor. I could tell by the smell and heavy footsteps that it was a man. He knelt beside me and gently placed his hand under my chin. He lifted it enough for my mouth to open involuntarily. With his other hand, he poured a warm liquid into my mouth. My severely dehydrated body swallowed the fluid rapidly. I tried to open my mouth wide for fear some of the liquid would spill out. After a few moments of allowing me to drink, the man pulled the cup from my begging mouth. Before I could protest, he shoved a piece of dry bread into my mouth and ordered me to chew. Though I was thirsty, it was nothing compared to my hunger. The man didn't need to tell me twice to chew. I savored every bit of flavor of that bread before swallowing and asked for more.
The man continued feeding me and giving me drinks for a long time. I finally formed the words, “no more,” when I thought my stomach was going to explode. I knew I had overeaten and would probably vomit up the food, but I didn't care. I heard the man fidgeting with the supplies. I knew he would be leaving, and that frightened me. He was my first visitor, and he brought me food. He was kind while he fed me. I was afraid of being alone again.
“Who are you?” I managed with a raspy voice.
“My name doesn't matter. It will be safer for both of us if you don't know my name,” the stranger responded.
“Why?” Was the only word I had energy to speak. I wanted the stranger to stay and talk to me, but I didn't have the strength to keep up my side of the conversation.
“I'm not supposed to be here,” he began. He was quiet again, and I thought he was going to leave before he began talking again. I was relieved and intrigued all at once. I listened intently, thankful for the company.
“I have been with Kelsha for many years. I always trusted her. I believed in her. Now I know I never really knew her. All of the Neveahian’s that followed her to this, icy Hell, believed she was fighting for them. She was so convincing. She still is. It wasn't until I saw her come here with you. It wasn't until I saw him that all my faith in Kelsha and her ‘cause’ came crashing down.”
“Who?” I managed to muster up.
“Jax Bane. We have all believed he was killed by his own son. That is what she told us. None of Kelsha's followers believed in Jax or his cause. We were all frightened of him. Knowing he has been living with her, among us, disguised as my dear friend Heren makes me sick. I am no murderer, Lilly.”
“How do you know me?”
“Everyone in Neveah knows you. You’re ‘the chosen one’, the one who was to change our lives as we knew them. The one that would take all of our rights, all of our freedom, the one that would force all of us, who are different, into a life
of solitude and hiding. The one we were training to stop. To kill,” he finished with regret clear in his deep voice.
“I am not the enemy,” I whispered, wanting to explain more. I felt safe with this stranger, and though I knew telling him of our plans was a bad idea, I would have done it if I could speak in sentences longer than a few words. I realized what I was about to do and was grateful my throat and voice wouldn't work.
“Yeah, I am beginning to believe that, Lilly. It seems we have been fighting for the wrong side. At least I have. I have to go now. I will bring you food and drink when it is safe,” the stranger said. Before I could protest, he was gone, and I was alone. Again. I sat and watched the light streams come and go from the little window at the top of my prison. Every once in a while I could hear a noise outside of my cell. I began relying on the random sounds and rays of light to keep me company. My stranger would bring me food and drink, but was always in and out quickly. When I tried to speak to him, he would hush me and be gone.
My first few days, I thought of nothing but Shep and James. I could hear Shep's voice. I could hear James' giggles and cries. I swore to them I would break the chains that held me prisoner and find my way back to them. I would scream at the top of my lungs, but my screams and cries were responded to with silence. I held onto the hope that Shep would come crashing through that door to rescue me. He never did. As the days went on I thought about my boys less and less. I thought less and less about every person that had ever meant anything to me. No one came for me. No one heard my cries, no one but the stranger who brought me food and drink but nothing more. No conversation since our first meeting. I was lonely. I was angry. I was sad. I was going mad. I begged to be released. I begged the Gods of Neveah. I begged the God of earth. I begged every God I could think of and none came to my aid. I just sat there, day after day in my cell. My new home, until the day he took me away.
Neveah Box Series (Neveah Box Set Book 5) Page 64